Senator Rand Paul said he didn’t like the idea of showing off tanks and missiles in a big military parade. He said that’s not really what America is about. Paul, who’s from Kentucky and is part of Trump’s Republican party, said he doesn’t mind parades in general, but this one seems like a waste of money.
He pointed out that the parade could cost as much as $45 million, which is a lot to spend just to show off military equipment. What really bothers him is that the whole thing reminds him of what countries like the old Soviet Union or North Korea do — showing off their weapons to scare people and prove how powerful they are.
He said when he thinks of military parades with tanks and missiles, his mind goes straight to those kinds of authoritarian governments — not to a country like the U.S. that’s supposed to stand for freedom and democracy.
Another Republican senator, John Kennedy from Louisiana, agreed that the parade wasn’t really necessary. He said the U.S. is already the most powerful country in the world, and it doesn’t need to show off to prove it. He compared the U.S. to a lion — a strong animal that doesn’t need to roar to show it’s the boss. Kennedy said he’d rather spend the money elsewhere, but he also admitted that the president gets to decide these things, and it’s Trump’s call in the end.
The parade is supposed to celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and will include a huge display of military vehicles and thousands of soldiers in Washington, D.C. It’s also happening on Trump’s birthday, which many critics believe is not just a coincidence. At the same time, there are big protests planned all over the country under the name “No Kings.” These protests are meant to speak out against what people see as Trump acting like a dictator — ignoring court orders, deporting people unfairly, cracking down on immigrants, and using government power in ways that hurt regular citizens.
Trump didn’t react calmly to the idea of protests. From the White House, he warned that anyone who shows up to protest the parade will be met with “very big force,” which many people found threatening and troubling. This kind of language, again, made critics compare his behavior to dictators who try to silence public dissent.
The organizers of the protests say they want to stand up for democracy and remind people that America doesn’t belong to one man. Their message is simple: “In America, we don’t do kings.” They believe Trump is trying to act like a king, not a president, and they want to push back against that idea. Protests are planned in over 1,500 cities, although none are scheduled for Washington, D.C., where the parade is taking place.
Overall, many people — even some Republicans — are uncomfortable with the cost, the message, and the timing of Trump’s military parade. They worry it sends the wrong signal, both to Americans and to the rest of the world.
